Matt Bille and Erika Lishock were the guests on this edition of The Space Show to discussion the early space history of both the United States and the USSR. Their new book, "The First Space Race," documents the contest between the two super powers to launch the world's first satellite. During the program we learned about the hidden facts and side of Sputnik, Vanguard, the U.S. Army and Navy programs and competition, and the little known Notsnik satellite program. Matt and Erika were able to put these events into the proper perspective so that we can more readily understand and build upon them, as we saw space develop in the cold war era to take mankind to the Moon and then on to where we are today with the shuttle, the ISS, and the Space Exploration Vision for returning to the Moon and on to Mars. Matt and Erika talked about the timing, the funding of the early program, both President Eisenhower and President Kennedy, the early years of NASA, Werner von Braun and so much more. You can't help but like this program as we delve into a part of space history that most of us know little about but then discover its very significant impact on our lives and our space program today, even as we move toward seeing a winner with the X-Prize. This discussion with Erika and Matt is an eye opener! I know you will find it as interesting, rewarding, and informative as I did.